Opinion
Pricing haze continues
07 Jun 2006 |
Dr Leena Srivastava
| The Financial Express
The increase in prices of petrol and diesel seems to have been imminent given the steep increase in the international price of crude oil. However, the haze surrounding the whole issue of petroleum product pricing remains as dense.
A wake-up call
05 Jun 2006 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Economic Times
The World Environment Day's theme this year, 'Deserts and Desertification', is a problem which the global community recognized when it adopted in 1994 the Convention to Combat Desertification.
World Environment Day is observed worldwide to focus attention on a set of global problems that human society cannot ignore much longer. The UN generally assigns a specific theme for this day each year, and the focus for 2006 is 'Deserts and Desertification', a problem which the global community recognized when it adopted in 1994 the Convention to Combat Desertification. However, action at the international level to combat desertification in reality has been weak and unfocussed. The issue of desertification is often is perceived in the West as a natural problem of advancing desert is in far away developing countries. In actual fact desertification is essentially a problem of land degradation and loss of biological productivity of land caused by human induced factors and climate change, covering 1/3rd of the earth's surface area and over a billion people.
Scientist who revolutionised India's greening
26 May 2006 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Hindu Business Line
The history of agricultural development in India is intimately connected with the achievements of one of the country's foremost agricultural scientists, Dr B. P. Pal. The Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) was earlier located in Pusa, Bihar, but after a severe earthquake damaged its main building, the Institute was shifted to New Delhi in 1936. Dr Pal was the first Indian Director of the IARI in New Delhi at its campus, which was named Pusa, in 1950 and continued to serve in that capacity until May 1965, when he became the first Director-General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). He held this position from May 1965 to January 1972, during which period the Green Revolution was launched with outstanding success.
Dr Pal's major contribution to the scientific aspects of the Green Revolution was in the area of wheat genetics and breeding. He observed that rust disease was largely responsible for low yields of wheat and, therefore, developed a systematic breeding method to develop varieties with resistance to rust disease.
A lot needs to be done to ensure sustainable supply
15 May 2006 |
Dr Sameer Maithel
| The Financial Express
Among all the biofuels, ethanol is already being produced globally on a fairly large scale. Global alcohol production during 2005 was around 41 million kilolitres, of which around 70% was used as fuel. The bulk of the production and consumption was in Brazil and the US, with Brazil alone accounting for around 15 million kilolitres. Countries such as China, Canada, Paraguay, Bolivia and Thailand have ongoing ethanol programmes.
Free fly ash at whose cost?
09 May 2006 |
Mr S K Chand
| The Economic Times
Under the existing environmental regulatory framework (1999), all coal-fired power stations are required to give away free fly ash to users for at least ten years, and irrespective of their 'location or size', they must get all the fly ash gainfully utilised within nine years for existing plants and 14 years for future plants.
How should the oil pricing regime change?
09 May 2006 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Economic Times
Import parity prices for petro goods are totally rational and appropriate. The country is becoming increasingly dependent on oil imports, and with mounting prices in the international market, it would be justified for consumers to pay prices in this country that reflect the scarcity of oil in the international market.
"We need to find means to create a market for green products"
30 Apr 2006 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Financial Express
It may not be a sudden impact, but climate change is nevertheless amongst the major of challenges facing humankind in this century. R K Pachauri, Director-General of TERI and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC highlights the challenges facing us. Exceprts from an interview with Suman Tarafdar.
CSR in new dimensions: It has become imperative for cos to understand the social milieu in which they function
28 Apr 2006 |
Dr R K Pachauri
| The Economic Times
The recent speech of the Prime Minister at the CII meeting, leading to a debate on reservations in the private sector, has perhaps raised relevant issues on the whole concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Indian business has had a tradition of providing financial support for activities that go beyond the narrow interest of the shareholders. In the past, however, corporate philanthropy and actions defining creation of places of religious worship or schools and other institutions. This concept has undergone substantial transformation not only because the corporate sector is now involved in activities, which were earlier part of the Government's responsibility, but also because with the spread of information, public opinion has become an important part of the image of a corporate organization, outgrowing performance purely in a business sense. There is also a much larger reason for redefining CSR, grounded in the reality that business cannot succeed in a society which fails. It had, therefore, become imperative for companies to understand the social milieu in which they function. Public acceptance of the operations of any business, particularly in an alien society, often determines the success or otherwise of corporations. Such acceptance comes from the company in question being seen in empathy with the aspirations and values of the society in which it functions.
Reliance's city gas foray
20 Apr 2006 |
Dr Leena Srivastava
| The Financial Express
RIL's (Reliance Industries) investment proposal into city gas distribution makes eminent sense and needs to be welcomed. Not only would this improve the reliability of supplies to all consumers within the beneficiary cities, it would also reduce dependence on LPG imports. India imported about 2.33 million tonnes of LPG in 2004-05. It is expected that our imports of oil would increase from a little less than 100 mt to close to 350 mt by the year 2030 and its oil import dependency would rise from 75% today to 95% - giving rise to a growing sense of vulnerability. A large part of this demand growth would be attributable to the demand for transportation fuels and for the residential fuels of LPG and kerosene. As has been brought out by the census of 2001, 90% of rural India still meets its cooking needs through biomass fuels and over 30% of urban cooking requirements, too. The government has stated its intent to ensure access to clean cooking energy to all households by 2012. While city gas would not provide a direct alternative to biomass-using households, it would definitely free up LPG consumption for a wider population base.
Demystifying coal security
14 Apr 2006 |
Mr S K Chand
,Dr Syamal Kumar Sarkar
| The Economic Times
Recently, two articles in these columns (November 16 and December 6, 2005) discussed about the security of energy supplies in India. We reiterate certain facts brought out in both the articles and put forth an analysis so that the issue of finitude of domestic coal reserves and related issues of energy security can be seen in right the perspective.